Bucs Earn Split with Ripon in MWC Opener

April 7, 2013 at 6:20 pm

Beloit, WI -- The Beloit College Softball team split their Midwest Conference-opening doubleheader with Ripon College on Sunday at the Strong Complex Softball Field, falling 5-3 in game one before taking the nightcap 7-1.

The games were originally scheduled to be played at Ripon but because of snow still on their field the games were moved to Beloit. The Bucs were the visiting team in both contests.

In the second game the Buccaneers got all the runs they'd need in the first three innings with two in the first and second and another in the third to go up 5-0. Bethany Stavrakas scored on the front end of a double steal with Kandace Fox for the first run and then Emily Dorjath knocked in Fox in the first. In the second Megan Salm doubled in Tara Grode and Stavrakas and Jen Zucker plated Dorjath in the third on a groundout.

Ripon got on the board in the fourth on a solo home run but that was the extent of their scoring. Beloit tacked on a couple of runs in the seventh with Fox scoring on an error and Grode driving in Mikayla Martin on a fielder's choice.

Martin reached base in all four plate appearances on three walks and a single. Zucker got the win on the mound, striking out eight to run her season total to 106. She gave up four hits and walked none.

In the opener RC tallied in the first to jump on top before Beloit scored three times in the third to take the lead. Salm had an RBI single, Stavrakas scored on a wild pitch and Dorjath singled in Fox in the inning.

The lead held until the bottom of the fourth when the Red Hawks scored twice to tie it up at 3-all. Ripon took the lead for good, and closed out the scoring, with two in the fifth on a two-out, two-run single.

Dorjath had two doubles in the game while Salm also had two hits.

The Buccaneers have four days to get ready for the MWC Crossover Classic next weekend in East Peoria. Beloit plays Monmouth College and Illinois College on Friday, Cornell College and Knox College on Saturday and Lake Forest College and Grinnell College on Sunday.